Free Republic

The North Korean Cult Oct 9, 2017 IAN BURUMA It is possible that North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, and perhaps even some subjects of his despotic rule, would rather be obliterated than give in. It would not be the first time that a quasi-religious movement turned suicidal. NEW YORK – The absurdity of the North Korean dictatorship is easy to caricature. Kim Jong-un, with his 1930s-style pudding-bowl haircut (cultivated, it is claimed, to make him resemble his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, the regime’s founder), his antiquated Mao suit, and his short, plump body, is almost like a cartoon character himself. Officially...

Al Gore recently had a telling altercation with a journalist. The Spectator’s Ross Clark wanted to ask him about Miami sea-level rises suggested in the new film, “An Inconvenient Sequel.” The reporter started to explain that he had consulted Florida International University sea-level-rise expert Shimon Wdowinski. Gore’s response: “Never heard of him — is he a denier?” Then he asked the journalist, “Are you a denier?” When Clark responded that he was sure climate change is a problem but didn’t know how big, Gore declared, “You are a denier.” I was recently on the receiving end of a similar rebuff...

I've been trying to figure out why he was so insistent that Trump apologize to the leftists in Charlottesville, and this is the best reason I could come up with. Maybe he's one of those secret heroes in reverse: button-down mogul on weekdays, black-clad, club-wielding anarchist on weekends?

The other day, I was watching a program about the Church of Scientology. The program was not particularly flattering to Scientology. In fact, the documentary was downright disparaging. The conclusion of the documentary, although the producers did not come out and actually say it, was that Scientology was nothing more than a flashy, well-funded cult. That got me thinking about religion in general. You see, all of the worlds’ major religions have one thing in common. That commonality is the fact that there is a greater being outside of yourself and humanity. Some call that factor God, The Great Spirit,...

A Mexican folk religion involving human sacrifice and devoted to "Holy Death" is growing in popularity among drug traffickers and violent criminals, prompting Texas officials and the Catholic Church to warn about honoring the so-called "Saint Death." Authorities are speaking out about the religion devoted to La Santa Muerte, which translates to “Holy Death” and "Saint Death," that has gained popularity steadily since the late 1980s among Mexican-American Catholics. “She’s not a saint. There is nothing good that can come out of praying to her,” Sante Fe Archbiship John Wester said in February. “We have a lot of saints who...

A pair of Tennessee rehab facilities run by members of the Church of Scientology have been shut down after police discovered that patients there were being held against their will. The facilities in Cannon County came under investigation after police received a 911 call from a man who claimed to be trapped in one of the facilities. When they came to investigate, they found the man locked in a cabin with no way to escape. The facilities were little more than a handful of cabins and a double wide trailer concealed in the middle of the wilderness. Police described the...

In what appears to be a revenge mission, a rival cult group, in the early hours of today, launched a retaliatory attack over the death of one of their members, Kevwe Ikolo. Ikolo was allegedly murdered at his residence barely a month ago. Early Monday morning, suspected members of the Vikings confraternity stormed the home of a member of Aiye Confraternity at Ekiagbon Quarters and allegedly macheted one Emmanuel Misiate to death in his apartment. DAILY POST learnt that Misiate had survived a similar attack in the past. ‎This time, it was gathered that the Vikings, allegedly led by one...

https://twitter.com/thenormalbloke/status/851801248080814080

Michael Savage famously said that liberalism is a mental disorder. I think it is more precise to say that liberalism is a cult. Isolation, threats and routine shaming all serve to silence cult members who cross them, exactly as happens with political correctness. The dreaded label of racist or bigot chills most opposition. Those closest to you will ostracize you for expressing an incorrect view, exactly as in a cult. Eventually, the inclination is to censor what you not only say but what you think. Most people upon being intimidated will rein in their perceptions and even their curiosity because...

President Donald Trump told a candidate to be his top science adviser that he agreed global warming had become a “cult movement in the last five or 10 years.” Princeton University physicist Will Happer met with Trump in January about a week before the inauguration. He told Trump he believed man-made global warming had been “exaggerated,” to which Trump replied: “I agree with you.” “Very briefly. I said, ‘I’m sure you know my position that I think climate change has been tremendously exaggerated—its significance. Climate is important, always has been, but I think it’s become sort of a cult movement...

The Freewinds cruise ship is the Holy Grail for any dedicated Scientologist: a coveted destination where members can mingle with rich and powerful A-listers - for a price. Hollywood celebrities, such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Lisa Marie Presley and Kirstie Alley, and top-ranking management - most notably leader David Miscavige - have attended extravagant parties on Freewinds.

The closing to Saturday Night Live last night. Two female performers singing a creepy love song to a giant black and white poster of Obama.

Last week I wandered into the Church of Scientology in Pasadena, California, and what happened during my visit made me afraid for the church's members. While shopping along Raymond Avenue in Old Town Pasadena last week, my friend and I stopped into the Church of Scientology to take a free personality test that was advertised on an A-frame chalkboard sign just outside. As a Christian, I wasn’t really searching for guidance or salvation, but I wanted to hear the Church of Scientology’s elevator pitch. I wanted to know what they said to make people fork over massive amounts of money,...

As the first episode of her "ballsy" A&E series premieres, the actress/author-turned-investigative reporter reveals what everyone from pal Jennifer Lopez to co-star Kevin James felt about her former religion — and shares the memory of an awkward phone conversation she once had with the CBS chief at the 'Mission: Impossible' star's behest.A&E's legal department is no doubt burning the midnight oil to usher its latest series, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, on-air. The network has already received multiple threatening letters from the Church of Scientology, in which the show's host, Leah Remini, is described as a "has-been actress" and...

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1:1-2 KJV The Cult of Marxism is on full display as are the Three Pillars in their whine fest. They are outraged that such inferior people should have an equal vote to those who are more evolved and oh so superior to those Troglodytes who are racist, sexist, homophobes. They are...

Los Angeles, CA November 6, 2016 — Concerns about “Spirit Cooking” and the Clinton camp’s pattern of bizarre sex scandals spilled into the streets of Los Angeles this morning. Posters depicting Hillary of having the demonic “Jezebel Spirit” were seen at several locations, including near the First AME Church of Los Angeles, a historically African-American church.

...Clinton’s motorcade made a surprise stop at Miami’s American Airlines Arena after a Tuesday fundraiser in the area. The Democratic presidential nominee turns 69 on Wednesday. Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill told reporters that the singer said onstage that while she can’t vote in the U.S. she is “100 percent for Hillary Clinton.” “I love her,” Adele added. “She’s amazing.”

The Supreme Court of Pakistan is finally scheduled to hear Asia Bibi’s case in just five days. Asia, a Christian mother of five, has been in prison for seven years for allegations of blasphemy, facing execution by hanging. Her co-workers alleged that she blasphemed the Prophet Muhammad’s name. According to Pakistan’s constitution, all laws must be consistent with Sharia, Islamic law. True to its constitution, Pakistan’s penal code punishes any insult to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad with the death penalty. Asia’s crime was to offer water to two women who were picking berries with her at a farm. The two...

For 80 years, the Deseret News has not entered into the troubled waters of presidential endorsement. We are neutral on matters of partisan politics. We do, however, feel a duty to speak clearly on issues that affect the well-being and morals of the nation. Accordingly, today we call on Donald Trump to step down from his pursuit of the American presidency. In democratic elections, ideas have consequences, leadership matters and character counts. The idea that women secretly welcome the unbridled and aggressive sexual advances of powerful men has led to the mistreatment, sorrow and subjugation of countless women for far...

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence today in an Alexandria, Va., court and was sentenced to 180 days, all of them suspended. He will also be paid a $250 fine and court fees, will take a DUI course, and will have his driver's license suspended for 12 months. He could apply for a restricted license in the meantime. Crapo, a Mormon who has said he does not drink alcohol, was arrested on December 23 in Alexandria, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. His blood alcohol was recorded at 0.14 after he was brought to jail,...